![This picture taken on August 3, 2020 shows the tail end of an Israeli El Al airline Boeing 737-958 aircraft on the tarmac at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, east of Tel Aviv. [JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images]](jpg/gettyimages-1227974641-scaled-e1597672583936c032.jpg)
Israel has followed the US' demand to allow American citizens residing in Gaza to travel via Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport, as part of the continuous negotiations between Israel and the United States regarding Israel's inclusion in the visa waiver programme (VWP).
According to Gil Bringer, Israel's VWP project manager, there are approximately 100 to 130 Palestinian Americans residing in Gaza. As part of the pilot programme, those who meet Israel's security criteria will be eligible to enter the country on "B2" tourist visas and depart from the main Ben Gurion Airport, reported Reuters.
Israel will also grant Palestinian-Americans living in Gaza tourist visas allowing them to stay in Israel for three months.
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In response to Washington's demand, the Shin Bet security service and the Israeli army initially expressed significant resistance, citing national security concerns.
Israel has long sought access to the VWP, which would mean its citizens would not need to secure a visa before travelling to the United States, but progress has been hindered because of restrictions on entry to Israel for Palestinian-Americans from the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Until now, they have generally had to fly via neighbouring Jordan, cross into the West Bank by land and usually face restrictions if they then wanted to enter Israel.
Bringer told Israel's Army Radio that Israel would meet the VWP criteria by the 30 September deadline, allowing its citizens to travel visa-free to the United States by November. He expressed confidence in the progress of the project, adding that it is advancing rapidly and is expected to be completed within seven weeks.
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US ties with Israel, one of Washington's closest allies, have been strained over policies towards the Palestinians of Netanyahu's hard-right government and its plan to overhaul the judiciary, which critics see as anti-democratic.
The VWP issue was raised when Biden hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the White House last month, a source briefed on the meeting said. "They reviewed the progress being made and it was expected the process would soon be completed," said the source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality.
The Arab American Institute Foundation puts the number of Americans of Palestinian descent at between 122,500 and 220,000. A US official estimated that, of that number, between 45,000 and 60,000 were residents of the West Bank.
An Israeli official gave lower figures, saying that out of 70,000 to 90,000 Palestinian-Americans worldwide, about 15,000 to 20,000 were West Bank residents.
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